Literature

Puerto Rico's literature dates back to the era of conquest and
colonization. The early settlers, along with friars and governors, began
to describe the new land they had discovered and its Taíno
inhabitants. Their letters and documents provide clues to what life was
like in the Caribbean before the coming of Columbus.

Notable in this collection are letters written by Puerto Rico's
first governor, Ponce de León, to both the rulers in Spain and the
ecclesiastical hierarchies in Seville. Here are found the first
descriptions of the "conquistadores", the vocabulary and
descriptions of the mythological rites of the Taíno people appear
for the first time. Many pre-Columbian names have survived,
town names such as: Humacao, Coamo, Utuado, and
Caguas. It is believed that the Taíno language became
extinct by mid-16th century, although pockets of Amerindian culture may
have survived in the remote hinterlands.

Spanish cronists like Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo,
Fray Tomás de la Torre, Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, and others
are
among the most notable writings about the island.

The new conquerors of Puerto Rico wrote down their memories in the form of
verse, memories, diaries, and specially letters back home. The writings of
two Puerto Ricans became known in Mexico because of these close bonds - the poet
Francisco de Ayerra y Santa María, a noted Latin scholar, and
Alonso Ramírez, a carpenter's son who authored a series of
high adventures. After living for a time in Mexico, the Spanish author
Bernardo de Balbuena arrived to Puerto Rico in 1620 with the largest
known library in the West Indies. He housed his library in a church,
which, regrettably, was destroyed and pillaged in 1625 when Dutch troops
burned the city to the ground. Balbuena wrote some of his works on the
island; they were highly praised in Spain, although Balbuena's portrait
of an abundantly wealthy Puerto Rico was probably exaggerated.

In Madrid the first complete history of Puerto Rico was published
in 1788. Titled The Geographic, Civil, and Political History of the
Island of Saint John the Baptist of Puerto Rico, this work was a
major achievement, both as a history and a literary work. The writer,
Fray Inigo Abad y Lasierra, had been captivated especially by the
flora, fauna, and folklore of Puerto Rico.

The last half of the 19th century was particularly fruitful in
terms of literary works as the increasing numbers of new settlers tried
to capture the rhythms and landscapes of their new world in prose and
poetry. In 1849, Manuel Alonso Pacheco, publishes the cornerstone of
Puerto Rican literature, El Gibaro, a book part prose and part
poetry. A trio of outstanding lyrical and romantic poets emerged from this
period: Lola Rodríguez de Tío (1843-1924),
José Gautier Benitez (1851-1880), considered the most
complete romantic poet of Puerto Rican literature, and "El Caribe",
the nickname of plume of José Gualberto Padilla (1829-96).
Other distinguished writers of that era included Salvador Brau
(1842-1912), Eugenio María de Hostos (1839-1903), and
Alejandro Tapía y Rivera (1826-1882), who the first author
to achieve literary prominence.

Many foreign writers visited Puerto Rico during the 19th century
and recorded impression. Their literacy works provide some valuable clues
to the life of those times. For example, in 1834 George Dawson
Flinter published a report in London depicting the everyday life and
social customs of el jíbaro, the "hillbilly" whose
traditional homeland was the verdant mountains of central Puerto Rico.
Many of these writers took an idealized view of peasant life of the
times, describing it as relatively carefree and happy. A dissenting point
of view emerged in Manuel Zeno Gandía's naturalistic novel
"La Charca" (The Stagnant Pool), first published in 1894. The novel
presents a dismal view of social conditions in the Spanish colony at that
time.

The Spanish-American War in 1898 significantly changed the
literature of Puerto Rico. This period was know as the
Generation of '98. From the early years of 20th century, many
writers began to focus on the conflict between traditional Hispanic
culture and the increasing Americanization of the island. Men like José
de Diego, Luis Muñoz Rivera, Luis Bonafoux, Federico Degetau, Cayetano
Coll y Toste, and others became not only writers but political and cultural
leaders.
José de Diego (1867-1918), a precursor of Puerto Rican
modernist writers. His works kept alive the dream of independence for
the island.

The years following the invasion of Puerto Rico in 1898 were
very rich in Puerto Rican literature, Puerto Rico
produced poets like Virgilio Davila, Luis Llorens Torres, Luis
Palés Matos, and essayists like Nemesio Canales.

One of the leading 20th-century poets was Evaristo Ribera
Chevremont (1896-1974), who wrote about both urban and rural life.
His poems composed from 1924 to 1950 were brought together and published
in "Antología Poetica" (Poetic Anthology).

Antonio S. Pedreira (1899-1939), a professor of Hispanic
studies, wrote a landmark work, "Insularismo" which documented the
unique phenomenon of Puerto Rican culture after some 3 ½ decades of
U.S. political control. His work seems to have released a floodgate of
works by other Puerto Rican who in essays, novels, and poetry explored
the cultural struggle faced by the island since 1898. Notable among these
works were "La Llamarada" (Flash of Fire) and "Los Amos
Benevolos" (The Benevolent Masters), by Enrique A. Laguerre
(born 1906).

Another notable novelist was Pedro Juan Soto (born 1928), who
lived in New York, taught English, and was a true bilingual writer.
Among his best-known works were Spiks, which appeared in 1956,
and Usmail published in 1958.

The most distinguished Puerto Rican playwright was René
Marqués, author of the three-act "La Carreta "(The
Oxcart). This play depicts the poor economic condition that led to mass
exodus of Puerto Ricans to the United States.

There are three sounds in the Spanish language which are represented by
digraphs, namely ch, ll and rr. Traditionally ch and ll
were alphabetized after c and l respectively. In 1994 the Spanish Academy
dropped this custom, because it makes alphabetization too different from other
European languages.

All content included on this website, is not public domain material.
The content is the intellectual property of Magaly Rivera or her content providers.
Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is prohibited without
express written permission.